'Too little too late' or 'premature'? : the Brazilian Truth Commission and the Question of 'best timing'

Abstract

This article combines empirical findings on recent Brazilian history and theoretical questions related to the timing and nature of mechanisms associated with political transitions by raising the controversial question of whether the recently inaugurated Brazilian Truth Commission is ‘too little too late’ or even ‘premature’. After locating it in its wider historical context, this article introduces key competing opinions about the Brazilian Truth Commission, which has been perceived as belated and weak in comparison with those of other Latin American countries. Yet, rather than aligning itself with any of these positions, the Brazilian Truth Commission serves to exemplify that there is neither a generic nor an ‘impartial’ solution to the question of best practice and timing—any evaluation of the Commission depends on its specific goals and key target group. Processes of transition are neither linear nor predictable; they constitute power struggles, depend on the population's interest in the past, and can take on a dynamic of their own.